a critical look at comic books and the comic book industry

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While reading Jason Aaron’s run of Doctor Strange, the introduction of Mister Misery really caught my attention. Mister Misery debuts in The Last Days of Magic Part 3 as, “made entirely of pain and suffering.” Mister Misery was created with the help of Wong, who channeled Dr. Strange’s pain into a padlocked cellar room. Dr. Strange eventually has … More No Good Deed Goes Unpunished for Dr. Strange

With the release of Black Panther in February, Marvel waded into many topical and familiar points of debate regarding race. The predominantly black cast and the fact that it was written and directed by African Americans was an immediate discussion point in response to the often whitewashed Hollywood blockbuster. The story treads lightly, but not timidly, … More Black Panther Too Political? History Says No

Most of the responses we’ve received in writing this blog come from the Reddit community. A few comments consider, somewhat dismissively, that we’re writing about comic books that aren’t based in reality while we discuss real-world issues. For example, on the post about Daredevil and using his lie-detection in the courtroom, some commenters shared sentiments … More Comic Books in the Humanities: Who Cares and Why?

The presumption Jessica Jones and Daredevil adamantly convey is that private counsel will better represent a client than court appointed counsel. Public defenders in the Marvel Universe either leave you in prison for life or on death row. … More Marvel’s Public Pretender

V for Vendetta is set in post-nuclear war London where a fascist regime called Norsefire and its leader, Mr. Adam Susan, have risen to power. A masked man named V and his apprentice Evey oppose Norsefire and seek to usher in a state of anarchy. The text and artwork provide rich insights into each character’s beliefs, … More Unmasking V for Vendetta’s Panopticon